Food DiveThe Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that while protein's deflation rate declined in November, the Consumer Price Index for food at home still had its 12th consecutive year-over-year monthly decline, according to Supermarket News. As compared to November of 2015, grocery prices were down by 2.2 percent.
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Food Dive The House Freedom Caucus has released a document outlining a number of regulations the group suggests that the new administration examine or revoke when the president-elect and his Cabinet take office next year.
Among the regulations the caucus recommends the Agriculture Department and Food and Drug Administration remove are the revamp of the Nutrition Facts panel; calorie labeling on vending machines; programs in the Food Safety Modernization Act that aim to prevent intentional adulteration; the National School Lunch Program; the catfish inspection rule under USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service; the National Organic Program; and country of origin labeling requirements for meat products.READ MORE

The Hill Immediate repeal of Obamacare's individual mandate next year could cause chaos in the market and threaten coverage for some of the health care law's enrollees, experts warn.
Congressional Republicans have not yet said whether they intend to scrap the mandate right away, but the bill they unsuccessfully pushed last year — and are now using as a blueprint for 2017 — abolished the mandate immediately.
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USAgNetMore than 50 top executives sent a letter to Vice President-elect Mike Pence inviting the Trump administration to work with them to help fill vacancies at the Surface Transportation Board and select candidates that are "committed to eliminating outdated rules and overly bureaucratic procedures."
The signatories to the letter represent some of the nation's largest customers of freight rail service and come from a variety of industries, including manufacturing, refining and agriculture. READ MORE

Food Dive While terrorism is often associated with extreme, violent attacks, the food and beverage industry is vulnerable to intentional contamination, an FBI agent said during the Food Safety Consortium, Food Safety Tech reported. The FBI named several potential food-industry related targets for terrorism, including food processing facilities, food storage and distribution, restaurants, grocery stores, markets, commercial facilities and cruise lines. The FBI stressed that there is no imminent threat of terrorism to the food industry. But the agency did warn about the dangers of an insider threat, or someone "who exploits his/her position, credentials or employment to achieve trusted access to the means, processes, equipment, material, location, facility and/or target necessary to carry out a terrorist action."READ MORE

Food Safety NewsGiant and Martin's grocery stores are recalling Simply Enjoy brand frozen desserts because they could be contaminated with salmonella bacteria from powdered milk made by Valley Milk Products LLC. The recall of Simply Enjoy brand frozen mini eclairs and creme puffs produced by Poppies International Inc., which does business as Delizza Inc., is the latest in a series of secondary recalls in recent days that have cited powdered milk ingredients from Valley Milk as the problem.
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Food Business News Cargill recently opened two research and development facilities, one in Minnesota and one in China, that are designed to help Cargill's customers to meet shifting consumer expectations. "Consumers are voting with their values on a wide range of quickly emerging food issues," said Ruth Kimmelshue, corporate senior vice-president for business operations and supply chain at Minneapolis-based Cargill. READ MORE

Food Safety News A Brooklyn, New York, fish company that has an unresolved warning letter from the Food and Drug Administration because of food safety problems at its facility is recalling lizard fish because it may be contaminated with the bacteria that causes botulism poisoning. Arcadia Trading Inc. is recalling 34 cartons of lizard fish imported from Vietnam that was distributed nationwide to supermarkets between Feb. 11, 2014, and July 8 this year, according to a recall notice posted on the Food and Drug Administration's website.
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